# tribal
## English
### Etymology

From Latin tribālis. By surface analysis, tribe +‎ -al, first attested in the 1630s.

### Pronunciation

* (UK, US) IPA: /ˈtɹaɪbəl/
** Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪbəl

### Adjective

tribal (comparative more tribal, superlative most tribal)
* Of or relating to tribes.
    social order through tribal law
* Based on or organized according to tribes.
    a tribal society

#### Derived terms

* extratribal
* intertribal
* intratribal
* multitribal
* tribal chief
* tribalist
* tribalistic
* [[tribal tattoo tribalism#English|tribal tattoo tribalism]]

#### Translations
### Noun

tribal (plural tribals)
* A design or image that has been influenced by indigenous peoples; especially such a tattoo.
* (India) A member of a tribe.
** 1983, Human Science: Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India, page 141:This right had been accepted by relative tribals but misobeyed and effaced by non-tribals and foreign peasants.
** 2018, Vaijayanta Anand, Geeta Balakrishnan, Purnima George, Community Practices in India: Lessons from the Grassroots, page 66:[…] the legendary Adivasi leader Jaipal Singh Munda who came to represent the tribals not just of his native plateau, but also of all of India […]

#### Derived terms

* tribal tattoo

### References

* ↑ “tribal”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
* ↑ James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Tribal”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
* ↑ “tribal”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “tribal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [tɾiˈβal]
* IPA: (Balearic, Valencia) [tɾiˈbal]

### Adjective

tribal m or f (masculine and feminine plural tribals)
* (relational) tribe; tribal (of or pertaining to tribes)
* tribal (based on or organized according to tribes)

#### Related terms

* tribu

### Further reading

* “tribal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “tribal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “tribal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “tribal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Cebuano
### Etymology

Similar vowel sounds of bright and tribe. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Adjective

tribal
* bright; having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent

## French
### Etymology

From tribu +‎ -al, possibly influenced by English tribal.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tʁi.bal/

### Adjective

tribal (feminine tribale, masculine plural tribals or tribaux, feminine plural tribales)
* tribal

#### Related terms

* tribalisme

### Further reading

* “tribal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Galician
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tɾiˈbal/ [t̪ɾiˈβ̞ɑɫ]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: tri‧bal

### Adjective

tribal m or f (plural tribais)
* tribal (of or pertaining to tribes)
* tribal (based on or organized according to tribes)

#### Related terms

* tribo

### Further reading

* “tribal”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from French tribal or from tribo (“tribe”) +‎ -al (“of or relating to”).

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /tɾiˈbaw/ [tɾiˈbaʊ̯]
* (Portugal) IPA: /tɾiˈbal/ [tɾiˈβaɫ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /tɾiˈbal/ [tɾiˈβaɫ]
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /tɾiˈba.li/ [tɾiˈβa.li]
* Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
* Hyphenation: tri‧bal

### Adjective

tribal m or f (plural tribais)
* tribal

### References

* ↑ “tribal”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French tribal. Equivalent to trib +‎ -al.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /triˈbal/

### Adjective

tribal m or n (feminine singular tribală, masculine plural tribali, feminine and neuter plural tribale)
* tribal

#### Declension
### Further reading

* tribal in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

## Spanish
### Alternative forms

* tribual

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tɾiˈbal/ [t̪ɾiˈβ̞al]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: tri‧bal

### Adjective

tribal m or f (masculine and feminine plural tribales)
* tribal (of or relating to tribes)
* tribal (based on or organized according to tribes)

#### Related terms

* tribu

### Further reading

* “tribal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10